1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In steering apparatuses having a tilt mechanism, there has been proposed an art for performing a so-called tilt lock. In the art, stationary tooth rows are provided around a tilt elongate hole of a bracket, movable tooth rows are provided on a movable member that is held by a fastening shaft passed through the tilt elongate hole and that is guided along the tilt elongate hole, and both the tooth rows are meshed with each other to fix a steering column section for a steering wheel with the column section tilted. Refer to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-239085 (JP 2008-239085 A) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-117196 (JP 2006-117196 A), for example.
When the tilt mechanism is locked with tooth top lands of the stationary tooth rows abutting on tooth top lands of the movable tooth rows, the locking state becomes unstable because the stationary tooth rows and the movable tooth rows are not meshed with each other. This locking state is referred to as a half-locking. In JP 2008-239085 A, in order to suppress the occurrence of the half-locking, a flexible member having ridge portions that protrude beyond a tooth depth of teeth of the movable tooth rows is provided on the movable member.
In JP 2006-117196 A, in order to suppress the occurrence of the half-locking, the tooth shape of the tooth rows is formed into an arc shape.
However, in the above arts, the structure becomes complicated due to an increase in the number of parts or the complicated tooth shape.